The present invention relates to a method for producing a power transmission belt.
Raw edge V-belts are produced by cutting a strap body having a trapezoidal cross section from a cylindrical belt slab. In this technique, a large amount of waste rubber is generated from the belt slab because inclined surfaces of the raw edge V-belts on both sides in the width direction are formed by cutting. In order to reduce such waste rubber, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-340102 discloses a technique in which, in cutting a V-belt from a belt slab, both edges of an outer peripheral portion of the belt are maintained at a right angle, and an inner peripheral portion of the belt is ground on both sides in the width direction to form inclined surfaces. Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-347108 discloses that the waste rubber generated at the time of producing a V-belt is recycled to be used for producing another V-belt. Further, a wrapped V-belt is produced on a one-on-one basis by covering, and shaping, the uncrosslinked belt body with the canvas, and crosslinking the uncrosslinked belt body (see, e.g., Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2011-031407 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-125725).